From the Editor - Money Talks

And it says, “Hooray for Linux servers!” It's almost time for the billion-dollar-quarter party.

At the end of May, IDC released a thorough report
on server sales in the first quarter of 2004.
Linux servers came in at more than $900 million for
the quarter, up 56.9% from last year.

At that growth rate, the best of any server OS, we're
soon due for the first billion-dollar quarter for the
Linux server business. So let's plan to celebrate it.

Even if servers aren't your bag, it's important to
recognize milestones in this mature, successful area
of the Linux business. The smart choices that made
for Linux server success—including a commitment
to GPL-licensed device drivers instead of problematic
binary-only ones—will be a recipe for success
in other fields too. Generic and hackable beats
restrictive and specialized.

On the embedded hardware side, there's more good
news—you can get a generic, hackable platform
at your favorite computer store. Get a Linksys
wireless access point with Linux onboard, and you
can run your custom firewall, traffic control or
any application you want on a platform that's well
under a hundred dollars.

“Linux on Linksys Wi-Fi Routers” by James Ewing (page
50) gets you started in embedded Linux with hardware
that fits your budget and beginner projects that get
some real work done.

We've quietly made a change in our Resources
sections at the ends of articles. Instead of a list
of links, we point you at one jump page per article.
Not only does that save you typing some long URLs,
it also saves us some space in print, and now we can
check our logs to find out which articles got you
interested enough to take the next step.

So, are you looking to reorganize your servers for
easier management with serial consoles (page 66)?
Are you planning to develop Linux support for a new
USB device, and want to follow along step-by-step as
the Linux USB master does it (page 36)? Or, are you
planning to speed up your database application with
Memcached (page 72)? We want to know.

So, congratulations to all the great people doing
support, engineering, sales and everything else
in the Linux server business. And whatever you use
Linux for, you'll find something in this issue.

are you sure you're talking about the same EU that actually tried to cut down on monopoly abuse by M$? That tries to force M$ to openly document their SMB interface on the server side? Would that help Linux servers and would it help more than the US antitrust ruling against M$ did? Or did that court touch that subject at all?

The same EU where Linux is more and more considered as the more secure, stable and "democracy compatible" platform by governments and other public organisations?

And by the way - ever noticed that Suse now belongs to Novel?

So if you really thought that "the EU" was too dumb to know the difference between open software and the monopoly of M$ and was otherwise just somehow undiscriminatingly "anti-US" could you maybe reconsider? I'm sure there will still be more than enough good jokes to be found even so, like:

Q: You're American when you enter the bathroom and American when you leave, but what are you in between?
A: European ...

So many questions and so little time. I am, however, concerned that Linux could be the next in line when Super Mario Monti goes for another high score in Grand Theft Auto (Corporate Edition). What market or corporation is safe when the EU really needs several hundred million dollars to spend on Armani suits, Tattinger, stock options and personal pension funds. Never look a gift horse in the mouth - just mug it!

Yes, I was aware that Novell had acquired Suse, I just thought that Suse deserved a mention.

As to NAFTA, well, Never Allow French Tourists Abroad comes to mind but this, and all the rest is written with a big (-: